In one form of ice body making apparatus, an automatic apparatus is provided for forming ice bodies and periodically delivering the formed ice bodies into a subjacent container maintained within a freezer space of a refrigeration apparatus. In one conventional form, the ice bodies are removed from the container by a user grasping the ice bodies through an open top of the container and removing the desired quantity.
In another form of a refrigeration apparatus, a through the door ice dispenser is provided for automatically delivering the desired quantity of formed ice bodies from the container into a suitable receptacle, such as a glass or pitcher. Such an apparatus includes a conveying means for conveying ice bodies stored in the container to a discharge chute in the door. One example of such an automatic ice body dispenser is shown in Buchser U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,725, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention. As disclosed therein, the ice bodies are delivered from the container to a transfer mechanism by means of an auger which is rotated by a motor at the rear end of the auger. The forward end of the auger is connected to the transfer mechanism which transfers the ice bodies seriatum to a subjacent transfer chute leading to the dispensing area. Actuation of the drive motor may be effected by suitable switches connected to dispensing means at the dispensing position adapted to engaged by the glass or pitcher ice body collector, so that the desired quantity of ice bodies may be automatically transferred by the maintained energization of the drive motor.
A typical transfer mechanism includes a drum conveyor comprising a cylinder surrounding helical blade augers. A baffle is disposed immediately outwardly of the drum conveyor and includes an opening through which ice bodies conveyed by the drum conveyor may pass for delivery to the transfer chute. It has been found that under certain operating conditions the ice bodies may wedge between the blade augers and the baffle. Particularly, ice bodies can become entrapped between an outlet edge of the drum blade auger and a cutoff edge of the opening through the baffle. This wedging action could cause damage to the ice dispensing apparatus as well as damage to a motor drive therefor.
The present invention is intended to overcome one or more of the problems discussed above.